A very berry dessert...

I had a bit of time up my sleeve and a family dinner. And some raspberries, white chocolate and cream...
I also have two amazing dessert books...The New Patissiers (Olivier Dupon) and Sweet Studio (Darren Purchese) which have incredible desserts that all have many components. And due to having the morning free, I just kept making more layers! I based my layers on ingredients I wanted to use and adapted recipe components from within the two books.

It's Christmas!

For the last few years instead of other gifts, I've been making little decorated Christmas cakes for my friends at Christmas.

I started a few weeks ahead, doing it in sessions, as a fair few hours can be whiled away...

Fashion Santa

It's Christmas and I can't resist sharing this story of Fashion Santa in a Canadian shopping centre. Santa's never looked so good! And even better, for people that post selfies with a particular hashtag, money is donated to a Sick Kids foundation. Now that's a gimmick in the Christmas spirit!

I wonder if they're advertising for a Santa's helper....

Woollen blankets revived

In furnishing this time.

I needed to get my dining chairs recovered. They'd come from the farm and you could tell...

Hearts

Why do I love wearing hearts even though my age is past 10, 20, actually, yes...30, and afraid to say it, even 40.... (and starting to hedge closer to the next one too)...

When I saw these heart shoes, I was taken. They're "Swedish Hasbeens", an interesting brand that are almost a type of wooden clog: handmade, sustainable, made from a lime tree and ecologically prepared natural grain leather, ethically produced, quality and hippy happy!

     Boy do I love wearing them! Surprisingly comfy given that                     Image from Lyst.com              you're walking on the branch of a tree!

  

I can't help but stop and take notice when I come across hearty things in the shops too. Love 'em!

Coloured cocoa butter

I've been interested in using this for quite some time. You see prettily coloured artisan chocolates, but for when we do decorated choccy cakes at school, I've wanted to have a go at achieving that characteristic glossy coloured sheen to see if it's applicable for decorations.

Dessert time!

Oh my gosh time has been flying by and I seem to have been consumed with eggs and bacon! But not your regular eggs made out of eggs and toast made out of bread kind...no...
I've been testing out a recipe from Darren Purchese's book, "Sweet Studio" (note: must visit the store next time I'm in Melbourne).

Ice cream!

Are you ready? This dessert is nearly too good to be true and too easy to believe!

It started off with a packet of cream that needed using up.

100 years of fashion

Just a quick two minute video that shows a great snapshot of fashion eras over the last century.

The 80's defy belief... I mean, are you kidding me?
Can you see any influences from past years in your wardrobe?

White chocolate crackles

These are the best white chocolate crackles....they actually crackle and pop and explode with flavour!

Ladybird pin

Berry goodness

My sister, Cec and I were making dessert for my niece, Anna's birthday, which comprised:

Scarf - felted, woollen and upcyled!

I love old jumpers: real jumpers made with real wool and perfect for recycling!  I've found that they can take a bit of hunting for, but with a number piling up, I started on my scarf project...

 

Apple roses

A while back, a post featuring these apple roses did the Facebook rounds and this week I decided to try them out.

Photo by Sarah Ryan

 They're apple slices rolled in puff pastry- a very pretty dessert and yummy with ice cream.

Fabric storage basket using recycled denim

A quick and interesting way to use an old pair of jeans - and a cheap source of fabric.

Photo by Sarah Ryan

Start with an old pair of jeans and cut off a portion off the bottom.

Bag: re-using a woollen blanket

I love the old check woollen blankets, and I have been stashing a few. Last week, I discovered that my every-day bag was disintegrating, and new ones that I looked at were so expensive! So I got to, and decided to put one of my old blankets to good use (this one I'd picked up for $2 at an Op Shop in the doggy blanket section).

Photo by Sarah Ryan

So I made a template from my old bag, and cut out two on the bias (diagonally), and two from a contrast fabric for the lining. Then I added an extra piece to make an inside pocket. 

A cookbook from 1871

This post isn't giving ideas...it's just something interesting!
Mrs Beeton was a famous English cookery writer from the Victorian era (mid to late 1800's).
I found this book, All About Cookery, when poking about in a little shop in Cygnet and I couldn't pass it up.

Photo by Sarah Ryan

It's like a dictionary of recipes, arranged in alphabetic order. Given it was from 1871, I was surprised at the range of quite fancy French recipes such as souffle or beef ragout.

Upside-down quince cake

The humble quince...looks like a cross between a pear and an apple. And not nice to eat raw.

 

Photo by Sarah Ryan

But make up a nice vanilla bean sugar syrup and poach it for a few hours...and watch it change to a glorious jewel-like ruby pink-red colour.

 

                                    Photo by Sarah Ryan                                          Photo by Sarah Ryan
I was making an upside down cake so I sprinkled some brown sugar on the base and lined the tin with the sliced poached quince.

Decorated biscuits: using stencils

Two occasions: My great-niece's Georgina's 1st birthday party as well as Mother's Day....so some heart shaped biscuits were going to be fitting on both accounts.

Photo by Sarah Ryan

I usually use gingerbread biscuits for decorating as they keep really well, but this time I used a vanilla shortbread (they'd be eaten pretty quickly and the kids would like vanilla biscuits better, I reasoned...)

Little crochet storage basket

I haven't crocheted anything, ever, other than crocheting a chain when I was a kid. But I was tempted to have a go at this simple looking little basket...good for storing bits in the bathroom, or sitting room, or full of felt pebbles like mine here!

Photo by Sarah Ryan

A workshop was advertised at "Gather Handmade", a giftshop in Liverpool St, so I went along to have my first real go at crocheting.

Naked cakes

Naked cakes seem to be a bit of a trend, so I was keen to try out the method. Basicly, it's a style of icing a more formal or party cake, where the layers are still visible and no outer covering of frosting or icing is applied. Often fresh flowers are used for decoration.

Photo by Sarah Ryan

I decided I'd try it out so made two nice butter cakes.

Knee high socks

Can you get away with knee high socks if you're not a schoolgirl? I hope so, as I think they're great!

                                                                             Photo by Sarah Ryan

Take a look at the recent summer 2015 Prada runway shows where they look fantastic with just-to-the-knee length skirts (and the most amazing shoes).

Appliqué scarf

Appliqué:  [Pronunciation: ap-li-kay]   (n.) ornamentation, as a cutout design, that is sewn on to or otherwise applied to a piece of material (Source: OED online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 17 April 2015)

Now I am a bit of a scarf fan...so making another scarf was inevitable really...

 

 Photo by Sarah Ryan

So....I just happened to buy 50cm of cheesecloth, and 20cm of a white lace fabric.

A sweet brekky bite

Now I'm not a food critic, but so far my ratio here is a bit down on the food side, so a food-related post seemed in order.
What I like about Hobart bites at the moment is nicely described by Oonagh from Little Missy Patisserie when she said how she loves how the local bakeries/patisseries are showcasing their own specialities and uniqueness. Which I think hits the nail on the head.

Photo by Sarah Ryan

After a very lean day yesterday, I balanced it out by dropping in for a breakfast treat at Small Fry.

The doughnuts here have become a niche sweet treat, handmade each day with varying flavours. I chose Tiramisu, which had an espresso icing and a creamy mascarpone filling. Need I say it was delicous? It was.

There was also Apple Crumble (which I've had before - yum) and a Very Berry which was also very tempting. 

And I should add that following that, my other meals today will be laden with vegetables and chia seeds and natural yogurt and all good things like that! (Well, that's the plan...)

Metallic magic

I was quite excited about metallics there for a bit, but now there's just a nice warm hum about the highlight and interest they provide in all sorts of different situations.....like...
...in boots...

                                             Photo by Sarah Ryan                                                    Photo by Sarah Ryan

...or to add an accent to an outfit...

                                             Photo by Sarah Ryan                                    Photo by Sarah Ryan

 I love these light fittings...

 

Photo by Sarah Ryan

Loving denim!

I can't believe how I'm so loving denim! It's everywhere, and FABULOUS!

And I'm not just talking about a pair of denim jeans. Don't get me wrong, denim jeans are great.
But its denim jackets too (pssst....have a look at the Burberry denim jackets purely for some inspiration) - they are fantastic.
The prices are astounding but the designer labels set the trends for the more affordable store versions that you'll see in the mainstream shops...

 

Photo by Sarah Ryan

Yes, denim jackets WITH the denim jeans...

Ombré ruffle cake

Ombré: (adj.) having tones of colour that shade into each other, graduating from light to dark                           (Source: OED online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 3 April 2015)

Ruffle: (n.) A strip of lace or other material, gathered along one edge to make an ornamental frill or decoration (Source: OED online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 3 April 2015).

So...strips of fondant icing, gradually becoming darker in colour, making frills to decorate the side of a cake!

There are several different methods to do this, mainly whether the frills face upwards (like mine) or downwards (a bit trickier as they tend to want to sit flat against the side of the cake).

Arm knitting

The INFINITY SCARF was a project that I got caught up in trying out, making about ten before deciding that it wouldn't be suitable as a class project!

Photo by Sarah Ryan

BUT  they can be made in well under 2 hours (I found it took a bit longer than the suggested 1/2 hour)